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The differences between secretaries and administrative supports can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a secretary and an administrative support. Additionally, an administrative support has an average salary of $37,692, which is higher than the $36,442 average annual salary of a secretary.
The top three skills for a secretary include customer service, telephone calls and payroll. The most important skills for an administrative support are customer service, administrative tasks, and data entry.
| Secretary | Administrative Support | |
| Yearly salary | $36,442 | $37,692 |
| Hourly rate | $17.52 | $18.12 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 69,315 | 114,480 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.
Secretaries and administrative supports have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Secretary | Administrative Support | |
| Average salary | $36,442 | $37,692 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $51,000 | Between $26,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a secretary and an administrative support in terms of educational background:
| Secretary | Administrative Support | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between secretaries' and administrative supports' demographics:
| Secretary | Administrative Support | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |